Which one?

Which one of these would you want? Price is about the same.

Schecter C-1+ or a Fender Strat HSS MIM with an ash body.

Oh hard choice but why choose? Get both :D

I'd probably go with the schecter if I had to choose.

what else do you have presently?

schecter looks nice... but i am partial to fender. keeping that in mind, i am not a fan of the tortoise shell pick guard. not my style.

My style would prefer a schecter.I dont much care
for strats,i dislike the action,and the neck.But on the side of the strat for the single coil neck p-up. Does the schecter have
a coil tap? I would get the schecter with a coil tap switch.

24 frets is a requirement for every guitar that im going to get.....and schecter is second to ibanez to me so definitely schecter

Well, I already have the Schecter and I have gone on and on here about what a great guitar it is for the money, and it is, but I find that I almost never play it. Whenever I play I pick up my Warlock. I had a Squire Strat years ago and loved the way it sounded but I didn't like the way it played. So, I've been looking at Strats recently and the MIMs are great now. GC will take the Schecter on a trade-in for $175 and the Strat is $499. I have a $100 coupon so I can walk out with the Strat for $224.

@gx1327, I would replace the pick guard with a white one.

My Schecter C-1 Classic has a five way switch for coil splitting. Does that one? If so I recommend it, you can get a large variety of tones. but from the picture it looks more like a 3 way switch

I guess it all comes down to what sound you're trying to get.

Schecters are all right. I have an Omen 6. But I just love the sound of a good single coil guitar. It depends. I'm somewhat sick of humbuckers. I want to get myself a Telecaster. But you know, your choice.

So, I went to GC at lunch. The guy who told me he would give me $175 wasn't there. Another guy said they would give me $125! Then, I asked about the $100 coupon and he said that expired yesterday but they would give me 15 percent off. I told him to go have sex with himself but not in those exact words.

@BBT, no this one does'nt have a 5 way switch. Just 3. Can I get something aftermarket to make it a 5 with these kinds of pick ups?

I'm really diggin the look of the Schecter. I think too many people have strats and they are too stereotypical.

I have a C-1 Elite and if the setup is the same it has a 3 way selector with the coil splitting being push/pull on the tone knob. The C-1 Standard is set up with 3 knobs Vol/Vol/Tone(splitter) and a 3way toggle.

Yeah Mosh but mine is a 2001.

@HunterHAH, I agree but what I'm looking for in the Strat is the unique sound they get.

OHH i see, pre-coil tap days. I was wondering what year it was made after I posted. It would be a tough choice. The only problem I have with a Strat is the volume knob being so close to the area of my picking hand. I always find my hand accidentally turning the the knob while playing. Other than that it's a great sounding guitar.

I have both. Mine are not those cool colors tho'...'sad face'.
I play the Strat more and i really like the sound of over-driven single coils better than humbuckers...there is much more definition.
the neck on a fender is really good feeling for me, and the Contour Body is great to play while sitting.

Edit: Oops, I got a sss not a hss. I love the skinny bridge pickup sound. It reminds me of 60's reggae and the Talking Heads.

That's exactly what I'm talking about tsb! I know I can mod my schecter to get more sounds out of it but the Strat has very defined and unique sounds with all three pick ups. And, it's comfortable to hold. I like the 9.5 radius neck too. My warlock has a 12 radius which is good for shreddin and stretching. The Schecter is a 14 in radius. I like it but not as much as the Strat.

One thing I rarely see people mention is the weight of the guitar. I was amazed when I compared my old Epi LP to the Fender Strat I not have - the Fender is just sooooo much lighter. I know it isn't the end-all-be-all or anything, but it surprises me that at least some people don't ever mention it. How does the Schecter feel?

oh yeah, les pauls are heavy compared to a strat. i was surpirsed when i picked up my friends. sometimes that weight is nice, sometimes the lightwight guitar is nice.

guitar center sucks. even if they pay you $175 for that guitar they are just going to turn around and slap a $250 price tag on it and make $75. better to sell it on craigslist. i don't know what that guitar is worth, i would list it at $100 off of new retail and see what kind of offers you get.

i also wouldn't pay $499 for a MIM strat. i got mine off craigslist for $380 with a hardshell case, and i still think i overpaid a bit for it (but i really wanted the color)

I also agree with gx here. My MIM strat with hardshell case was $350 and it plays very well, I have no complaints. You can find some amazing deals on craigslist.

@gx and btimm, I agree. I was willing to pay the difference for convenience sake. I could sell the Schecter for 200 or 250 and search for the Strat I want on craigslist and pay a lot less. I work for Kelley Blue Book. I should know better!

The weight of the Schecter is about 13lbs. I think the Strat is less but the one I'm looking for is ash. Not swamp ash though which is a little heavier and more expensive. So it may end up weighing the same but it's not all that comfortable to hold. The contour shape is what I like. In fact, on the Hondo II that I'm working on, I'm adding contours to the shape to make it more comfortable to hold.

Mac,do you plan on using the strat whammmy?

Yes. Another reason for the Strat! That's the tremolo I grew up on. I know how to adjust them just right for different size strings and to make it float just right so I can pull up a half tone.

Sounds like macs gettin him a strat!! Does The MIM come stock
with locking tuners? If not,I'd deffinently
reccomend some,if you didnt already know you needed
em XD

I never used locking tuners. Not that I would'nt but I never had a guitar with them. But we'll see.

Now I have to get the Schecter ready for pics and it's going up on craigslist!

i've never used locking tuners before, can anyone explain exactly what they do? (as far as i'm concerned, the strings are "locked" into the machine heads via tension on regular tuners. how exactly do locking tuners work that is different?)

i did forget that you were specificlaly looking for an ASH-bodied stratocaster. MIM or not, that might add some value to the guitar. that also makes it more difficult to find on craigslist, because you are at the mercy of the market. if nobody's selling a used ash MIM, it's hard to buy one... and personally i wouldn't buy a musical instrument over ebay... too much risk, shipping costs too much.

as much as i'm a proponent of buying/selling used (i feel like it's a way of sticking to the man... the big corporate guitar center man, who sticks it to us all the time), there is nothing wrong with buying new if you want. it might cost you more, but if the price is worth it then what's it matter?

my biggest love of buying used is that resale value rarely changes. i bought my strat plus HSC for $380, if/when i go to sell it i am going to list it for $400 and see what kind of offers i get. worst case scenario i lost $50 after 2+ years of use (if i sold it today).

compare that to if i bought my MIM new for $500 and sold it for $350...

guitars hold their retail value much better, but i learned this trick when i bought/sold camera gear. you could buy a camera lens for $500 and sell it used for $350. OR, you could buy it used for $350 and sell it for $350...

Are locking tuners for tremelo bars only?

@gx, the shaft on a standard tuner can move or have backlash causing the string to go out of tune. Even more so when you have a tremolo due to the rapid change in tension. Locking tuners lock the string so even if the pegs on the tuners move the shaft does not.

I would'nt buy or sell on ebay either unless I can meet with the buyer/seller. On craiglist a potential buyer will email you and then you can call each other and agree on a meeting place. And you're right about the ash MIM. Even if I do find it on ebay, it would cost too much to ship. I have'nt found one on craigslist. So, I'll sell the Shecter on craigslist and find a new Strat at a local shop.

@nullnaught, No. They can be used for any guitar.

Dude, definetly the strat, Ive had that same type of model with the humbucker for a year and its amazing. Take my word for it, it can do anything! Metal, rock, classical, alt.. Its a great guitar all over.

I'd go for the strat,but ony if it was s-s-s :)

Ya know. I have been obsessing over this guitar. The truth is that I have never plugged it in and played it! Well, today I went to GC at lunch and played it through a Fender amp. It's everything I thought it would be! Just to be sure, I plugged in the American version that's $1149 and twice as much. It feels a little better but sounds the same. So, back to the $499 MIM. I play so much better on this than the Schecter. I played it for almost 45mins and couldn't get enough of it!

Still can't afford it yet though :( It will, however, be my next guitar purchase!

i like fenders.

I went to GC to almost maaaaybe buy the MIM Strat I posted about above. The one I played yesterday was the exact same model, color and price but did'nt play or sound the same at all. The strings were high, the neck had way to much relief, and it sounded thin. Then I came in to work today and read this review:

If you are planning on ordering on line or letting the store clerk bring one for you, you are better off buying an American because chances are you will be disappointed as most of these feel, look and sound sub-standard. I just bough one of these Mexicans and in the process I learned something about Fender that hopefully can help you find the perfect Strat: All the American models are mostly very good guitars, my guess is because tight quality control. The Mexicans and hit-and-miss and come in a...
very wide range of qualities and while the mayority are sub-standard, ocasionally you can find the one that match AND even some are BETTER than the American Standards in every way. The Mexican I bough was about the fifth one I tried and even after trying about another DOZEN or so more, none matched its tone and some were SERIOUS fails. I then tried the HHS models, and wile the HHS gives you higher gain for screaming solos (the good ones - still same random quality issues), they din't match the warmth and definition of the one Mexican I found when using the single Coils but that is more of a personal preference. Then I tried it against an American DELUXE and while the feel and finish of the guitar is evidently not deluxe, tone wise my Mexican was right up there. Then I picked up an American Standard and to my surprise, the craftmanship was not better AND while close, the Mexican still produced fatter tones. So a bought the black Mexican (not my choice of color). If you are in the Market for a Strat, this Mex is a great choice if you have LOTS of time to visit multiple stores and the ear sensitivity/training to try lots and lots of Strats ON THE SAME AMP until you find that great one.

Good advice, macandkanga! Thanks for sharing your experience and opinion.

I played on a Schecter and I did not really like it, it was ok, just not really me. I was leaning more toward a PRS SE model over it. I've been an ower to early 90's MIM, a tele and start and they were pretty solid guitars for the money.

I have to agree that the QC on a USA guitar vs it's MIM coz is going to be huge but at the same time your comparing a $500 guitar with a $1100 guitar.

One of the things I really like about fenders and the company's they own is that they produce the same models as their USA counterparts and under the same brand name. they are solid quality guitars. At the price, you can afford some decent customization.

I own a Gretsch Electromatic, and it's basically a MIM of the Gretsch line. Fender bought Gretsch out a few years ago. After replacing the pickups with some filtertrons or maybe some goldenage PAF's, and replacing the bridge. I'd run it head to head against the USA models any day.

On a MIM Strat, I would recommend replacing the tremolo block with a solid brass one. It will help with the sustain. Get some shielding tape and tape up the back on the pick guard behind the pots and the running wire. It should drastically help with noise and feedback.